About Us

Last Updated on Sunday, 01 June 2014 11:29 | | |

The Regional Development Center

Initially located in the Albergue Olímpico in Salinas, Puerto Rico, was established in 1985 on the initiative of the area representative after an exhaustive perusal of alternative venues (e.g. Mexico City, Havana, Miami) and the availability of the Puerto Rico Olympic Center whose facilities were generously offered to the area grouping by then president, German Rieckehoff Sampayo.

Since then, at least two training courses, of no less than two weeks duration each, have been offered at the Center annually, with the participation of coaches and/or athletes from virtually every country in the North American, Central American and Caribbean area. The center's offerings have been geared towards the coaches of the developing countries of the area, rather than the United States or Canada, though instructors from these two countries are used extensively.

The Development Commission of the IAAF formally recognized the Center in 1987 and has made annual contributions since then to the funding of the programs undertaken at the Center.

The Center was relocated to the Rio Piedras campus of the University of Puerto Rico in 2000 which generously extended usage of its facilities on agreed upon dates, at a modest daily cost per participant with no charges being imposed for the use of supplementary facilities (e.g. track, classrooms, etc.)

The offices of the RDC - which since July of 1998 have been headed by Lenford Levy - are located in the Jardin Botanico, headquarters of the central offices of the University of Puerto Rico.